Book Title: Watching The Bodies
Author: Graham Smith
REVIEWED BY: CHELSEA
Series: Jake Boulder #1
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Crime Fiction
Goodreads

Date Read: 4/28/17
Pub Date: 4/25/17

4 STARS

When Jake Boulder is asked by his PI friend to help investigate the vicious murder of Kira Niemeyer, he soon finds himself tracking a serial killer who selects his next victim in a most unusual manner.

As the body count rises, Boulder has to work with the police to identify the heinous killer before more lives are taken. What ensues is a twisted game of cat and mouse, that only Boulder or the Watcher can survive. But who will it be?

I am so delighted to be kicking off the North American blog tour for the new Jake Boulder series! I have seen rave reviews for the author’s previous books, so I was really pleased to be asked to participate in promoting a new series from scratch while dipping my toes in his writing style. I completely see where all the praise is coming from; Smith has a way with capturing your attention and not letting go until that final page is turned. While I hear that Boulder is completely different than his Harry series, I’m positive the finely crafted voice is heard in both.

I was immediately drawn to Jake’s character; while he is very different than Evan Smoak, I did get that same vibe of the dark, mysterious, and slightly stand-offish loner who exudes a quiet power to everyone he comes in contact with. This was a typical case of “the local police has their head up their rear end and can’t manage without outside help’; while this angle has been played many times before it was still a necessary premise to shape the forefront of our journey. I also felt it was very ballsy of Smith to write a book set in the United States while being British; I haven’t seen many people able to pull off a setting in an unfamiliar place and sell it so well.

The thing that impressed me most was how the story went about one of it’s big reveals; I was completely in awe at the AHA moment when one of the big points was unveiled and literally gasped out loud. This was a clever, well written thriller that introduced a new lead character that I’m interested to see more of. If you enjoy thrillers that have a structured feel and feature serial killers, you’ll want to pick up Watching The Bodies immediately. The plot is dark and disturbing with tension that grows throughout the story. Fantastic debut to a new series that I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of in the near future!

Author Bio:

Graham Smith is married with a young son. A time served joiner he has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000 he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.

An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009

He is the author of four books featuring DI Harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team and one book, WATCHING THE BODIES in a new series featuring Utah doorman, Jake Boulder.